Peptides

Hello Gorgeous!

Recently, I’ve had several patients ask me about peptides. Peptides seems to be the new buzz word in skincare. Not long ago, the buzz word was Hyaluronic Acid. Trends come and go; and right now peptides are IN. So, what are peptides and do we need them?

As we age,our collagen production decreases which creates wrinkles in our skin. This is where peptides come into play because collagen is actually composed of 3 chains of poly-peptides. Add peptides into your skincare routine and there is the potential to boost your own peptide production which in turn will boost collagen production and therefore decrease wrinkles. Wow, that’s a lot! And since peptides naturally occur in the body; almost everyone can tolerate using peptides in their skincare routine.

Using peptides in the form of serums or moisturizers are the best way to go. This allows the peptides to penetrate to the deeper layers of the skin throughout the day. Look for the ingredient “palmitoyl” near the beginning of the ingredients list on products. Peptides play well with antioxidants, like Vitamin C (you know I love my Vitamin C 😉 ) and hyaluronic acid but do not mix with alpha-hydroxy acids.

I’m not entirely convinced that peptides are the panacea for wrinkles. Most of us are on a budget; so I personally think that money is better spent on a medical-grade Vitamin C, Retin-A, and sunscreen. Peptides are a bonus ingredient, in my opinion. If they are in a product, FANTASTIC! But I, personally, would not go out of my way to purchase a product with peptides unless it was an inexpensive, OTC product. Peptides are great but the science still backs up Vitamin C, RetinA and sunscreen as the more potent anti-aging products.